WWW Wednesday: Managing Snack

Hello everyone and welcome to another What Went Well Wednesday!

Last year I developed an effective snack routine with my kinders and am already implementing it with my students this year.

It keeps everything running smoothly and keeps the classroom nice and clean.

We have snack time right after literacy centers and the students know that the quietest table gets their snack first. I then release students by their tables to get their snack out of their backpack. Students are responsible for bringing their own snacks, but I always keep extras on hand in case someone forgets.

My paraeducator and I ask the students to try opening their snacks to help build their independence. Then we circulate to help anyone still struggling. After the students are done eating, they are allowed to come to the carpet for brain break time. They know that they are not allowed to come until all of their snack trash is cleaned.

We use the wide variety of videos offered on the free website GoNoodle.  

It gets the students' wiggles out before specials classes and keeps them occupied while their friends are still eating.

I also have two jobs each week that are part of the "Clean-Up Crew". These students get to use my special sweepers that were purchased from the Dollar Tree. They sweep up any crumbs that happened to find their way onto the floor.

This simple routine keeps everyone busy and our classroom clean! It especially helps since students finish eating at different times. I am always a fan of getting students moving :)

Have a great Wednesday and happy snack time! :) 

WWW Wednesday: First Day

Today I am linking up with the Kinder Tribe blog for What Went Well Wednesday.

Click on the button above to check out some kinder teachers' awesome ideas and join in on the link up!

Since we are gearing up for another school year, I thought I would share what went well on my first day of school last year. These are things that I will definitely be implementing again this year with my kinder kiddos.

Line students up with numbers. 

  

This trick works wonders for quickly teaching your students how to form a line. Each of my students is given a number on the first day of school indicating which cubbie is theirs and where they stand in line. 

We practice finding their number a couple of times and after that they are good to go! No arguing about who stands where or confusion when we get in our lunch line. This also works in specials classes that don't have numbers on their floor because the students learn who they stand behind.

Collect a Work Sample

 I collect a work sample on the very first day of school with a simple coloring sheet. This quickly tells me who can write their name and who has never held a pencil before. We complete these sheets again on the 100th day of school to see how much we have  improved. This students love showing their growth!

Ask Your Students What They Want To Learn

I did not take a picture of this, but last year I asked the students "What do you want to learn about?" I gave each student a chance to answer and we recorded their answers on a chart that we displayed in the room. This worked well for many reasons. First, it gave every student the opportunity to participate on the very first day. It also gave me insight into the students' special interests. I then referred to this list throughout the entire year when planning lessons and special units. 

Include Playtime

    This is an entirely new setting and experience for your students. Build in some playtime during those first few days for them to explore and interact. They will be very curious and will also need the break time during those long first days.

Thank you for stopping by! Please leave comments if you have any questions about our first day of school.

Don't forget to also head back over to The Kinder Tribe for the linky party!